Boxcar running board



March 1953 A. E. BRICKMAN 2,633,211

' BOXCAR RUNNING BOARD Filed Nov. 24, 1948 5 Sheets-Sheet l 13);"... mm"- Qa' L INVENTOR.

ALA E. BRICKMAN ATTORNEY March 31, 1953 A. E. BRICKMAN BOXCAR RUNNING BOARD Filed Nov. 24, 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 so INVENTOR. ALAN E. BRICKMAN BY I ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 31, 1953 BOXCAR RUNNING BOARD Alan E. Brickman, Worcester, Mass., assignor to United States Steel Corporation, a corporation of New Jersey Application November 24, 1948, Serial No. 6l,875

2 Claims. (01489 -82) This invention relates to a box car running board and more particularly to such a running board constructed of wire. Many different types of running boards are used on top of box cars, but all of them have certain disadvantages. Most of the running boards in use are made of steel plates and are therefore relatively heavy, this being a disadvantage in that it increases the amount of the non-paying load that is being pulled. In some instances the running boards do not give secure footing, especially when covered with snow or sleet. Since the running board increases the overall height of the car, it is desirable that the running board be as thin as possible and yet have the required strength.

'It is therefore an object of my invention to provide a running board of relatively light weight and of relatively low height.

Another object is to provide a running board which is safer than the running boards now in present use.

Still another object is to provide a running board of welded wire construction.

These and other objects will be more apparent after referring to the following specification and attached drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the running board attached to the top of a car;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the running board;

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the line III--III of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on the line IVIV of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is an enlarged detail view of the pimpled rod;

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken on the line VI--VI of Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a view, partly in section, of the rolls for putting the pimples in the rod; and

Figure 8 is a sectional view taken transversely through the rolls of Figure '7.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the reference numeral 2 indicates the roof of a box car. At regular intervals along its length the roof is provided with pairs of turned-up flanges 4. A U-shaped clip 6 is pressed over each pair of flanges 4 to fasten the parts of the roof together. A longitudinal running board 8 is provided along the top of the roof and at each end. of the roof a lateral running board It! extends from the longitudinal board 8 to the side of the car. The construction of the longitudinal and transverse running boards is the same except for minor details and therefore the following description is applicable to both running boards. The running board 8 is preferably made in two sections each extending half the length of the box car 2. The top of each section has a plurality of longitudinal hard drawn wires l2 connected by transverse wires I4 which are bent down at intervals to provide seats l6 for the longitudinal rods l2. The seats iii are preferably of such depth that the tops of the transverse and longitudinal wires will be in the same plane. Bottom longitudinal wires I8 are provided beneath alternate longitudinal wires [2, the adjacent top and bottom wires being connected by a truss wire 29. As best shown inFigure 1, this wire has a plurality of bends therein, the pitch of the bends preferably being equal to the distance between adjacent transverse wires [4. The bottom apex 22 of each bend is located beneath the transverse wire Hi, this construction being desirable since it facilitates the welding of the Wires to one another. It will be seen that each pair of wires i2 and iii in conjunction with the wire 20 forms a strong light weight truss member. A flange member 24 having a cut-out portion 26 is Welded to the bottom longitudinal wires I8 at spaced intervals. The vertical flange of the member 24 is welded or otherwise fastened to the clip 6. A bracket 28 is fastened to each end of the car and has the end flange member 24 welded or otherwise fastened to its vertical portion. One leg of a flanged bracket 30 is fastened to the extreme end of the longitudinal wires l2. The other leg of the bracket 30 extends downwardly and rearwardly and is fastened to the bracket 28.

The transverse running board I0 is fastened to the end of the longitudinal running board 8 in the following manner: As shown in Figures 2 and 4. a plurality of substantially U-shaped brackets 32 are fastened to the first and third longitudinal wires l2, the top ends of the legs of the brackets 32 being bent at 34 around the longitudinal wires. The truss wires 20 of the transverse running board adjacent the longitudinal running board are bent downwardly at 36 and are welded to a bracket 38. The horizontal leg 40 of the bracket 38 extends beneath the brackets 32 and is bolted or otherwise fastened thereto. Welded to the longitudinal wires l2 of the transverse running board II] at the outer end thereof is an L-shaped bracket 44 which extends downwardly to the side of the car to which it is riveted or otherwise fastened. A hand grip 46 is fastened to the transverse running board Ill in any suitable manner.

The top of the longitudinal members I2 is provided with spaced apart anti-skid pinched ears or pimples 48. As shown in Figures 5 and 6,

these pimples are preferably provided with an arcuate portion 50 extending above the top of the wire. In transverse section the pimples 48 are rectangular in shape and have a portion extending below the top of the wire. As shown in Figures '7 and 8, these pimples 48 are made by passing the wire through a pair of rotating rolls 52 mounted on parallel shafts 58. A plurality of spaced apart radial holes 58 are provided in the rolls 52 in which are placed pins 58 which bear against the shaft 54. Each of the rolls 52 has a groove 80 around its periphery into which extends a portion of the outer ends of the pins 58. As the rod passes through the grooves 60 in the rolls 52, the mating pins 58 pinch the top portion of the Wire forcing the metal thereof inwardly and upwardly to form the pimples 4B. In addition to providing efiicient anti-skid properties to the wire, these pimples increase the strength of the wire since the metal is more efficiently distributed.

All of the Wires in the running board are hard drawn and are resistance welded together at their points of contact. Because of the small top surface of the wires, ice formed thereon tends to break oif when a person steps thereon. In case a trainman should slip, there are many small surfaces which are easily grasped, this increasing the safety of the running board.

While one embodiment of my invention has been shown and described it will be apparent that other adaptations and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A running board comprising a plurality of spaced apart top longitudinal wires, a plurality of spaced apart transverse wires having spaced apart downwardly extending bent portions for receiving said longitudinal wires, the tops of said longitudinal and transverse wires being substanti-ally in the same plane, a plurality of bottom longitudinal wires extending beneath at least some of said top longitudinal wires, a bent truss wire connecting adjacent pairs of top and bottom longitudinal wires, said top longitudinal wires have a plurality of spaced apart pinched ears therein extending upwardly above the top of said wires from a point above the center of the wires with the remaining lower part of the wires being undistorted whereby anti-skid supporting surfaces of small area are formed which enable ice formations to be easily broken by persons stepping thereon.

2. A running board according to claim 1 in which the pinched ears are integral with the top longitudinal wire and have an arcuate portion extending above the top thereof, the pinched ears being substantially rectangular in cross sec tion.

ALAN E. BRICKMAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 145,285 Dudley Dec. 9, 1873 691,416 Thacher Jan. 21, 1902 1,802,397 Trachsel Apr. 28, 1931 1,832,518 Wettlaufer Nov. 17, 1931 1,868,107 Lachman et al. July 19, 1932 2,165,833 Bischof July 11, 1939 2,190,214 Nagin Feb. 13, 1940 2,338,444 Lachm'an Jan. 4, 1944 OTHER REFERENCES Reliance Steel Products Co. Catalog 138, Mc- Keesport, Pa., (page 14).

Univ. of Illinois Engineering Experiment Station Bulletin No. '71, page 61, published 1913. 

